Understanding Anti-Bias Education

Author(s): Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards

Source: YC Young Children , November 2019, Vol. 74, No. 5 (November 2019), pp. 6-13
Published by: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

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 Embracing Anti-Bias Education

Understanding
Anti-Bias Education
Bringing the Four Core Goals to Every
Facet of Your Curriculum
By Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards

A
nti-bias education is not just doing occasional activities about diversity and fairness topics (although that
may be how new anti-bias educators begin). To be effective, anti-bias education works as an underpinning
perspective, which permeates everything that happens in an early childhood program—including your
interactions with children, families and coworkers—and shapes how you put curriculum together each day.

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 which we grow up and live and which individuals
This article is an excerpt of the second edition share with many others. Social identities include
of Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and (but are not limited to) gender, racial, ethnic,
Ourselves, by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie cultural, religious, and economic class groups. (In the
Olsen Edwards. An NAEYC bestseller, this book forthcoming book, social identity is described in detail
helps early childhood educators fulfill their in Chapter 2.) A strong sense of both individual and
mission of helping all children reach their full group identities is the foundation for the three other
potential. The new edition—with major updates
core anti-bias goals.
to all chapters, including gender identity—will be
available early in 2020.
Goal 2: Diversity

›› Teachers will promote each child’s

The four core goals of comfortable, empathetic interaction with
anti-bias education people from diverse backgrounds.

›› Children will express comfort and joy

Four core goals provide a framework for the practice of with human diversity, use accurate
anti-bias education with children. Grounded in what language for human differences, and
we know about how children construct identity and form deep, caring connections across
attitudes, the goals help you create a safe, supportive all dimensions of human diversity.
learning community for every child. They support This goal means guiding children to be able to think
children’s development of a confident sense of identity about and have words for how people are the same and
without needing to feel superior to others; an ease how they are different. It includes helping children feel
with human diversity; a sense of fairness and justice; and behave respectfully, warmly, and confidently with
the skills of empowerment; and the ability to stand up people who are different from themselves. It includes
for themselves or for others. encouraging children to learn both about how they
are different from other children and about how they
Goal 1: Identity are similar. These are never either/or realities because
people are simultaneously the same and different from
›› Teachers will nurture each child’s
one another. This goal is the heart of learning how to
construction of knowledgeable, confident,
treat all people caringly and fairly.
individual personal and social identities.

›› Children will demonstrate self- Some teachers and parents are not sure they should
awareness, confidence, family pride, encourage children to “notice” and learn about
and positive social identities. differences among people. They may think it is best to
teach only about how people are the same, worrying
This goal means supporting children to feel strong and
that talking about differences causes prejudice. While
proud of who they are without needing to feel superior
well intentioned, this concern arises from a mistaken
to anyone else. It means children will learn accurate,
notion about the sources of bias. Differences do not
respectful language to describe who they and others
create bias. Children learn prejudice from prejudice—
are. Teachers will support children to develop and
not from learning about human diversity. It is how
be comfortable within their home culture and within
people respond to differences that teaches bias and fear.
the school culture. Goal 1 is the starting place for all
children, in all settings. Another misconception about Goal 2 is that exploring
differences among people ignores appreciating
Adding to early childhood education’s long-term
the similarities. Goal 2 calls for creating a balance
commitment to nurturing each child’s individual,
between exploring people’s differences and
personal identity, anti-bias education emphasizes
similarities. All human beings share similar biological
the important idea of nurturing children’s social
attributes, needs, and rights (e.g., the needs for food,
(or group) identities. Social identities relate to the
shelter, and love; the commonalities of language,
significant group categorizations of the society in

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 families, and feelings) and people live and meet these at others. This includes issues of gender, race,
shared needs and rights in many different ways. A ethnicity, language, disability, economic class, age,
basic premise in anti-bias education is “We are all the body shape, and more. These are early lessons in
same. We are all different. Isn’t that wonderful!” critical thinking for children, figuring out what they
see and hear and testing it against the notions of
kindness and fairness.

These lessons build on young children’s implicit

interest in what is “fair” and “not fair.”

As children come to identify unfair experiences and

as they learn that unfair can be made fair, children
gain an increased sense of their own power in the
world. Children cannot construct a strong self-
concept, or develop respect for others, if they do not
know how to identify and resist hurtful, stereotypical,
and inaccurate messages or actions directed toward
themselves or others. Developing the ability to think
critically strengthens children’s sense of self, as well as
their capacity to form caring relationships with others.

Goal 4: Activism

›› Teachers will cultivate each child’s ability

and confidence to stand up for oneself
and for others in the face of bias.

›› Children will demonstrate a sense of

empowerment and the skills to act,
with others or alone, against prejudice
Goal 3: Justice
and/or discriminatory actions.
›› Teachers will foster each child’s capacity to Goal 4 is about giving children tools for learning how
critically identify bias and will nurture each to stand up to hurtful and unfair biased behavior
child’s empathy for the hurt bias causes. based on any aspect of social identity. Biased behavior
›› Children will increasingly recognize may be directed at oneself or another. It may come
unfairness (injustice), have from another child or adult or from children’s books,
language to describe unfairness, and television, and films. This goal strengthens children’s
understand that unfairness hurts. development in perspective taking, positive interactions
with others, and conflict-resolution education.
This goal is about building children’s innate, budding
capacities for empathy and fairness, as well as their Actions of teasing, rejection, and exclusion because
cognitive skills for thinking critically about what is of some aspect of a child’s social identities are a form
happening around them. It is about building a sense of aggressive behavior. They are just as serious as
of safety, the sense that everyone can and will be physical aggression. The old saying “Sticks and stones
treated fairly. may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”
is false. Children’s developing sense of self is hurt by
Learning experiences include opportunities for
name-calling, teasing, and exclusion based on identity.
children to understand and practice skills for
And children who engage in such hurtful behaviors
identifying unfair and untrue images (stereotypes),
are learning it is acceptable to hurt others, the earliest
comments (teasing, name-calling), and behaviors
form of bullying. An anti-bias approach calls on
(isolation, discrimination) directed at themselves or

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teachers to intervene gently but firmly, support the Here is an example of an anti-bias education topic
child who is the target of the biased behavior, and help at snack time.
both children learn other ways of interacting. It is snack time in the 4-year-old room. The
teacher sets a small pitcher of water on the table
Children’s growth on Goal 4 strengthens their growth
for children to pour and drink. Lupe, whose home
on the other three goals. If a child is the target of
language is Spanish, looks up and asks, “Agua?”
prejudice or discrimination, she needs tools to resist
Casey, sitting next to her, says with annoyance,
and to know that she has worth (Goal 1). When a
“No! It’s water—not ahhgwa” (exaggerating the
child speaks up for another child, it reinforces his
pronunciation). The teacher stops what she is
understanding of other people’s unique feelings (Goal
doing and turns to Casey and says, “Lupe is
2). When children are helped to act, it broadens their
right. What you call ‘water’ her family calls ‘agua.’
understanding of “unfairness” and “fairness” (Goal 3). There are many words for water, for crackers,
for oranges, for everything! We all have words.
Guidelines for your curriculum We have different words. It’s pretty wonderful!”

At group time, the teacher follows up by

Just about every subject area in the typical early asking children about the different words
childhood program has possibilities for anti-bias they have for people in their family. As the
education themes and activities. For instance, early children call out Grandma, Oma, Pops, Daddy,
childhood education themes of self-discovery, family, Papa, Abuelita, and more, she writes them on
and community are deeper, and more meaningful, a chart. She assures them that none of the
when they include explorations of ability, culture, words are wrong. They are just different. And
economic class, gender identity, and racialized they all mean someone who loves them.
identity. So, too, issues of fairness (Goal 3) and acting
for fairness (Goal 4) arise as children explore various Meet anti-bias goals in every
curriculum topics. corner of the classroom
The ongoing examination of how people are
Differences do not create bias. simultaneously the same and different provides
Children learn prejudice from children with a conceptual framework for thinking
about the world they live in. For example, children
prejudice—not from learning playing with blocks can learn that although some
about human diversity. It is how children like to build tall towers and some like to
build long, flat structures on the floor, all the children
people respond to differences like to build. Art projects can show enthusiasm
that teaches bias and fear. and admiration for blacks and browns along with
all the other wonderful colors of the spectrum. The
common curriculum topic of harvest time can include
The ideas for specific anti-bias education content and respecting and making visible the people who grow,
activities come from three major sources. One is from pick, and transport our food.
children’s questions, interests, or interactions with
each other that classroom teachers see as important to Everyday activities offer opportunities for Goals
respond to and develop. Teacher-initiated activities are 3 and 4 as well. Arguments over toys can include
a second source of anti-bias activities, based on what discussion of fairness and kindness. Exclusionary
classroom teachers and families think is important for play, stereotypes in books, or teasing are experiences
children to learn. A third source is significant events open to critical thinking about hurtful behavior and
that occur in the children’s communities and the for problem solving toward just solutions.
larger world that classroom teachers think need to be
explored with children.

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 Use child-initiated and teacher- Planning Anti-Bias
initiated activities Education Activities for Your
Children’s questions, comments, and behaviors Program’s Curriculum
are a vital source of anti-bias curriculum. They An anti-bias education approach is not a recipe. Rather,
spark teachable moments as well as longer-term teachers include anti-bias issues in their planning by
projects. However, it is not sufficient to do anti-bias considering the children and families they serve and the
activities only when a child brings up a relevant issue. curriculum approach their program uses. Here are key
Teacher-initiated activities are also necessary—be questions to ask yourself as you and your colleagues
they intentionally putting out materials and books plan learning activities and environments. Begin by
to broaden children’s awareness or planning specific asking yourself these questions for one or two activities
learning experiences around issues that matter to a week, and see how they change what you do and how
the children respond.
families and the community.
■■ Where do I best fit anti-bias goals and issues into
You do not wait for children to open up the topic
my curriculum plans for the day and the week?
of reading or numbers before making literacy
and numeracy part of the daily early childhood ■■ Who might be left out of this curriculum?
curriculum. Because you have decided that these How will I use the topic to include each child,
understandings and skills are essential for children, connecting to the diversity of their social
you provide literacy and numeracy discussions and identities and to their individual needs? How
activities in your classroom. A balance between can I be sure no one is invisible or unnoticed?
child-initiated and teacher-initiated activities is as ■■ What ideas, misconceptions, and
vital in anti-bias education as in any other part of the stereotypes might children have about this
early childhood curriculum. topic? How can I learn what these are and
provide accurate information and counter
Here’s an example of how a teacher begins with a
misinformation and stereotypes?
children-generated teachable moment and follows
up with teacher-initiated activities: ■■ How can I use this topic to support and strengthen
children’s innate sense of justice and their
After a windstorm broke dozens of small
capacity to change unfair situations to fair ones?
branches off of the trees surrounding their
preschool, several 4- and 5-year-old boys begin ■■ What learning materials do I need
building a “club house” by dragging branches to gather to incorporate an anti-bias
and bunches of leaves to a corner in the perspective into this curriculum topic?
playground fence. Valeria (4 years old) starts
dragging a branch to join them and the boys
shout, “No girls allowed! No girls allowed!”
big branches.” “And they can’t build high!”
The teacher considers encouraging the boys
“We’re going to be superheroes! Girls can’t
to welcome their classmate into their play—but
be heroes.” And, finally, “We don’t like girls.”
then she hesitates. There are larger societal
All these statements reflect commonly held
issues embedded in this interaction. As an
stereotypes about girls. Additionally, she thinks,
anti-bias educator, she decides she needs
not seriously addressing the situation reinforces
to address the underlying ideas, especially
the additional stereotype that boys don’t have
that girls can’t or shouldn’t engage in play
to pay attention to the feelings of others.
that emphasizes physical strength or that
“real boys” don’t include girls in their play.
Seeing an opportunity to expand their thinking,
the teacher suggests testing these claims.
Deciding to find out what the children are
She says, “Well, let’s find out if girls can move
thinking, the teacher asks, “Why do you think
the big branches and build high or not.” Since
no girls are allowed?” She listens carefully
many of the children are now gathering around,
to the boys’ responses: “Girls can’t move the

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 she invites everyone to join in the challenge. Do they support boys’ tender, sharing, inclusive
“What do you think is going to happen?” she behaviors or mainly comment on their noisy,
asks. With much laughter the children run and power-focused play? The teachers agree to
gather branches. Some girls are faster than observe each other as well as the children
some boys, some boys are faster than some and see what changes they can make to avoid
girls. Everyone is able to add branches to the the damage that gender stereotypes have on
club house, which is suddenly much higher! children’s sense of themselves and of others.

Bringing the children back together, the teacher

Using a combination of child-initiated, teachable
says, “It looks like both girls and boys can lift
moments and teacher-initiated, pre-planned activities
big branches and build high. Thinking that
is the most effective way to expand children’s ability
boys would be better at these things than girls
to grow in the four anti-bias education goals and to
was a stereotype.” Several children repeat
talk about, think about, and understand the world
the word stereotype (preschoolers love big
around them.
words!). Still holding their attention, the teacher
clarifies and gives words to the program’s
values: “Stereotypes are unfair. In our school
we want everyone to be treated fairly. What
can we do so that we can be sure that we play
together fairly?” The next steps are suggested
by the children. One suggestion is a sign that
says “Everyone can play here.” “How about,”
says one of the boys who began this episode,
“how about if we want to play alone, we just
say ‘you can have a turn in a few minutes’?”

Knowing that one interaction is never enough

to help children think in new ways, the teacher
plans and carries out further activities. She adds
to the classroom library books in which female
athletes and firefighters are strong and fast.
At circle time, she reads books in which girls
and boys play together in big muscle games.
She invites a female carpenter in to help the
children build with real tools. And she begins
a curriculum on “Being a hero,” about all the
ways boys and girls can be powerful helpers.

In the next staff meeting, the teacher relates

what she has done and is planning to do, and Pay attention to the realities
why. She asks her colleagues to consider the of children’s lives
frequency of gendered exclusionary play in the
program and they agree to take the important While the four core anti-bias education goals are the
step of identifying how (explicitly and implicitly) same for all children, specific activities should be
they may be supporting a binary view of gender relevant to the children’s backgrounds and their lives.
(see Chapter 9 in the forthcoming book) in their Some children need support to resist messages of
classroom. For example, how often do they call racial or cultural inferiority; others need guidance to
out “boys and girls” rather than “children”? Do develop a positive self-concept without absorbing social
they ask “strong boys” to help move furniture messages that they are the “normal” ones and other
and big blocks? Do they comment on girls’ children are less than, strange, or negatively different.
clothing or hair instead of asking about their Children of wealthy families need help resisting the
interests and accomplishments? message that material accumulation defines their

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 worth and that of others; children of families with
About the authors
fewer resources need support to resist messages that
undercut their families’ worth. Some girls may need Louise Derman-Sparks, MA, has worked with children
extra support to develop confidence and interest in and adults in early childhood education for more than 50
years and is a faculty emerita of Pacific Oaks College. She
experiences that are math and science related; some
is coauthor of several books, including Leading Anti-Bias
boys may require help to develop skills for having Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change, Anti-Bias
nurturing, cooperative interactions with their peers Education for Young Children and Ourselves, and Teaching/
and to engage in play that reflects these attitudes. Learning Anti-Racism: A Developmental Approach.

Julie Olsen Edwards, coauthor of Anti-Bias Education

Closing thoughts for Young Children and Ourselves, was on the faculty
of Cabrillo College’s early childhood education
department for 45 years. A lifetime activist for children
As in all other areas of the curriculum, teachers and families, she continues to write, teach, and
tailor and scaffold anti-bias education materials consult on issues of equity, diversity, and anti-bias.
and activities to each child’s cognitive, social, and
emotional developmental capacities. They plan and
choose learning experiences that stimulate children to
explore the next step of new ideas and skills and allow
each child to apply new understandings and behaviors
in his or her daily life.

Photographs: © Getty Images

Copyright © 2019 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.

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 Reimagining Our Work
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